A 22-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the death of a longtime Milwaukee Public Schools special-education teacher who was attacked at a bus stop on the city's north side. Daylan Mallard is accused of killing Harry Odele Bruce, 56, on November 5 near North 12th Street and West Walnut Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to a criminal complaint reported by TMJ4 and CBS 58.
Source: TMJ4 Milwaukee
The attack was reported shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 5. Officers responding to a report of a battery in progress found Bruce unconscious and not breathing, according to the complaint. Police began CPR before the Milwaukee Fire Department took over, but Bruce did not survive, TMJ4 reported. Mallard was taken into custody at the scene.
According to the criminal complaint, investigators say security video from a nearby apartment building captured part of the attack. Prosecutors say the video shows a person investigators identified as Mallard on top of Bruce and repeatedly punching him for several minutes. Investigators say Mallard then walked away before returning and attacking Bruce again. A witness told police Bruce appeared unable to defend himself during the attack. These are the prosecution's allegations as set out in the complaint; Mallard has not been convicted.
Source: TMJ4 Milwaukee — criminal complaint summary
CBS 58 reported that a witness who was getting off a Milwaukee County Transit System bus told police she saw a man severely beating Bruce. The complaint says several people eventually intervened after a woman alerted people at a nearby restaurant that someone was being attacked, and one witness told investigators he performed CPR on Bruce after the attack stopped.
Source: CBS 58 Milwaukee via Opera News
An autopsy determined Bruce died from multiple blunt-force injuries to the head and neck and manual strangulation. The Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a homicide, TMJ4 reported.
A teacher, coach, minister and author
Bruce taught special education at Roosevelt Middle School for more than a decade. Milwaukee Public Schools described him as a beloved teacher who served Roosevelt students not only as an educator but also as a football coach, tutor and mentor. His sons remembered him as a father, minister, coach and author who centred his life on helping others.
His sons, Kylon and Lorenzo Boothes, told TMJ4 their father was headed to the bus stop that evening to go and help someone move. “The life he lived is not about him at all,” Kylon said. “He always worked to help everybody else, and it made himself happy.” Lorenzo said Bruce was not his or his brother's biological father but raised both of them as his own: “He took on a responsibility that he didn't have to, and I will always be grateful for that.”
The charge, the bond and what happens next
First-degree intentional homicide is the most serious homicide charge under Wisconsin law, a Class A felony. If Mallard is convicted, he faces life imprisonment, TMJ4 reported. The charge is an allegation, and Mallard is presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty in court.
Mallard made his first court appearance on November 10. A judge found probable cause for the case to continue, set cash bond at $250,000 and scheduled a preliminary hearing for November 18, according to case reporting summarising the court proceedings. At the preliminary hearing, the court is expected to consider whether there is sufficient evidence for the prosecution to continue toward trial.
Authorities have not publicly established a motive for the attack, and no motive was announced with the charge. The school community at Roosevelt Middle School and in Milwaukee Public Schools has been mourning a teacher colleagues and family describe as a mentor who spent his career helping students with the greatest needs.
Victim: Harry Odele Bruce, 56, Milwaukee Public Schools special-education teacher. Accused: Daylan Mallard, 22, charged with first-degree intentional homicide. Where and when: bus stop near North 12th and West Walnut streets, Milwaukee, shortly after 5:30 p.m. on November 5. Bond: $250,000 cash. Next step: preliminary hearing on November 18.
What happens next turns on the November 18 preliminary hearing in Milwaukee County. Awaaz Punjab will follow the case as the court tests the evidence in the complaint and as Milwaukee remembers a teacher who, in his sons' words, always worked to help everybody else.